Yoga Talk Show with Lucas RockwoodThu, 26 Mar 2015 11:11:20 +0000Tue, 31 Mar 2015 18:02:06 +0000Libsyn WebEngine 2.0http://www.YogaBodyNaturals.com
en-ushttp://www.YogaBodyNaturals.compodcast@yogabodynaturals.com (podcast@yogabodynaturals.com)http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/0/4/c/c/04cc1cbc69ae57cb/yts-cover-1400x1400.jpgYoga Talk Show with Lucas RockwoodYOGABODY Naturals: Learn the Latest in Yoga & Mind-Body Wellnessfitness,health,meditation,mindbody,nutrition,rawfood,vegan,vegetarian,weightlossnohelp@yogabodynaturals.com143: Getting Rejected 100x in a Row - On Purpose!Thu, 26 Mar 2015 11:11:20 +0000Fear is one of the most powerful motivators on the planet. Unfortunately, it usually motivates us to play small, hide in our own shell, and avoid the awkward and personally challenging situations needed for us to self actualize. But to face your fear, almost by definition, means to embrace rejection. And for most people, rejection is scary.

This week, Lucas and guest Jia Jiang discuss the power of “rejection therapy”. Jia Jiang is an entrepreneur, blogger, speaker and writer. He's the founder of the online site Fearbuster.com that aims to beat fear one rejection at a time. He conducted a personal experiment where he asked for 100 different whacky things 100 days in a row just to completely break down the fear of reaction and welcome the world of possibilities—and that's why I have him on the show here today.

While you're listening, you can learn more about his work at Fearbuster.com

In this Show, You'll learn:

What is “rejection therapy” , and where the idea came from

How you can go about defeating your fear of rejection

Some exercise you can start practicing at home to improve your self-confidence

Links & References from the Show:

http://www.yogabody.com/yoga-talk-show/

Got questions?

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]]>36:50clean142: “Best of 2014“ Special EditionThu, 19 Mar 2015 14:22:07 +0000The Yoga Talk Show had over 200,000 listeners in 2014, and we’ve had the pleasure of hosting a number of amazing experts. From best-selling authors and medical doctors to yoga misfits and mind-body researchers, The Yoga Talk Show continues to attract thought leaders around the world. In this special episode, we compiled “best of” soundbites to highlight interviews you may have missed. We hope you enjoy these little gems of knowledge.

In this Show, You'll learn:

The challenges faced by our food system, agriculture and sustainability

The impact of stress and anxiety in our lives - and how to deal with it

The benefits of a healthy, raw food diet

Yoga, handstands, practice, meditation, teaching children, and more!

Links & References from the Show:

http://www.yogabody.com/yoga-talk-show/

Got questions?

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]]>39:18clean141: Juice Your Way Back to HealthThu, 12 Mar 2015 09:41:27 +0000We all know green juice is good for you, but you can take it much deeper and actually “reboot” your health and detoxify your body. This week, Lucas Rockwood talks with Joe Cross about juicing for health, and the powerful impact of an all-plant diet. Joe Cross is an Australian entrepreneur, author, filmmaker, and wellness advocate. You probably know him from his documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead in which he tells the story of his own 60-day juice fast and road trip . He is the founder of Reboot with Joe, a health and lifestyle company, and he's just released a new book called, The Reboot with Joe Juice Diet: Lose Weight, Get Healthy and Feel Amazing that is a best-seller.

In this Show, You'll learn:

The benefits of juicing for health

All about Joe’s 60-day juice cleansing story

What juices you should be drinking if you want to reboot

Blended drinks: juices vs. smoothies

Links & References from the Show:

http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/

Got questions?

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]]>33:41clean140: Primal Posture for Pain-Free LivingThu, 05 Mar 2015 10:03:44 +0000Back pain is pandemic, and it’s one of the top reasons people come to yoga class. In this week’s Yoga Talk Show episode, Lucas Rockwood and Esther Gokhale discuss how primal posture can help with chronic back pain. Esther Gokhale (Go-clay) has been involved in integrative therapies all her life. She studied biochemistry at Harvard and Princeton and, later, acupuncture at the San Francisco School of Oriental Medicine. After experiencing crippling back pain during her first pregnancy and unsuccessful back surgery, Gokhale began her lifelong crusade to vanquish back pain.

She is the founder and creator of, The Gokhale Method®, a unique, systematic approach to help people find their bodies’ way back to pain-free living.

Gokhale's book, 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into eight languages. In 2010, Gokhale hosted the nationally televised program Back Pain: The Primal Posture Solution (available on DVD).

In this Show, You'll learn:

how primal posture can help with back pain

the benefits of "tucking in your tailbone" and other exercises for the back

]]>38:30clean139: Scoliosis & YogaThu, 26 Feb 2015 09:56:56 +0000Do you have an irregular spinal curve? This week, Lucas Rockwood and Deborah Wolk talk about holistic healing and yoga. Deborah Wolk has been teaching students with scoliosis and other back conditions since 2000. She was the co-founder and co-director of the successful Yoga Union Center for Backcare and Scoliosis, and is founding member and manager of Samamkāya Yoga Back Care & Scoliosis Collective in New York City.

In this Show, You'll learn:

To what extent yoga can help with back pain

Which poses are helpful or harmful if you suffer from scoliosis

How much yoga you should be committing to on a daily basis to see results

Chocolate-covered ants and other novelty foods have been around for ages, but is anyone moving beyond the novelty foods and taking a deeper look at the real nutritional benefits of edible insects? This week, Lucas Rockwood and Kevin Bachhuber discuss the topic of insects-as-food. Kevin has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin Steven's Point, one of the nation's top schools for wildlife conservation and natural resources.

A lifelong urban farmer, Kevin founded Big Cricket Farms in response to growing water shortages, the rising costs of protein production, and a simple desire to eat bugs with friends. In 2006 his travels to Thailand, Kevin was able to sample a variety of edible bugs including crickets, and found them to be delicious! Upon returning to the USA, he also discovered that there were essentially no commercial sources of crickets for people to eat, so he decided to create one. In 2014, the time was ripe, and Big Cricket Farms was born.

In this Show, You'll learn:

Why bugs might just be the future of food

The farming of bugs in real life (what it’s like)

Whether insects-as-food is truly sustainable

Living off bugs: is it actually possible?

Links & References from the Show

http://nutritionstudies.org/

www.BigCricketfarms.com

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

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]]>39:40clean137: Can We Feed the World on Plants?Thu, 12 Feb 2015 09:45:29 +0000This week, Lucas Rockwood and Dr. Thomas Campbell discuss food, nutrition and the health of our planet. Dr. Campbell is the co-author of, The China Study, an extremely influential and highly-debated book on food, nutrition, and plant-based diets specifically.

He is an instructor of clinical family medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. A board certified family physician, he has a primary care practice in Rochester, NY.

In addition, Dr. Campbell is the executive director and an educator at the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, a nonprofit organization in Ithaca, NY, which promotes optimal nutrition through science-based education, advocacy, and research in partnership with eCornell, Cornell University’s online course provider.

In this Show, You'll learn:

The benefits of plant-based nutrition, raw foods and living foods

The challenges of a wheat, soy, and starch-based approach to eating

The healing impact of a plant-based diet on the human body

The future of nutrition: how are we going to feed the world?

All about Dr. Campbell’s new book, The Campbell Plan”

Links & References from the Show

http://nutritionstudies.org/

http://www.thecampbellplan.com/

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

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]]>37:27clean136: The “Fat Yogi” - Body Image & YogaThu, 05 Feb 2015 10:28:02 +0000If you hang out on social media, it’s easy to get caught up in the seeming importance of the outward appearance of yoga. It’s easy to develop ideals of what a yoga body should look like when in reality, you don’t need a skinny, perfectly-toned body to be a great yoga student - and as most yoga teachers will tell you, it’s irrelevant. Join Lucas Rockwood and Anat Geiger as they demystify the stereotypical notions of body image and yoga.

Anat Geiger teaches Taoistic principles of Yin and Yang in her classes. Anat has a background in dance, performance, and theater. She is certified at the 500hr level and has studied with Teresa Caldas, Dona Holleman, Paul and Suzee Grilley. She lives in Amsterdam and her "home studio" is called, YogaGarden.

In this Show, You'll learn:

That yoga is open to all, regardless of body shape

Anat’s view on the topic of yoga for yoga people vs yoga for everyone

More about the trend of “Big-bodied” yoga classes

Mainstream yoga: the good and the bad

Links & References from the Show

www.Anat.nl

Got questions?

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]]>39:43clean135: How to Hydrate Your Connective TissuesThu, 29 Jan 2015 10:08:01 +0000When you feel stiffness, pain, and aches in your body, it can often be caused by connective tissue dehydration, a little-known, extremely-common condition that’s no good for yoga students. Join Lucas Rockwood and Sue Hitzmann as they deep dive into connective tissue hydration, corrective exercise, training “safe” rather than hard, and to heal your body.

Sue Hitzmann in the New York Times best-selling author of the MELT METHOD, a book that teaches her signature self-treatment technique for rehydrating your connective tissues, overcoming pain and injuries, and preventing future problems.

Sue is a nationally-recognized somatic-movement educator and manual therapist. She has decades of experience in practice, research, and study of anatomical science and alternative therapies all of which have gone into the creation of the MELT Method® (MELT).

Dr. Spina holds a Bachelor of Kinesiology from McMaster University. He later graduated with summa cum laude and clinic honors from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College as a Doctor of Chiropractic and completed a two-year post-graduate fellowship in sports sciences.

In addition to being both the creator and head instructor of Functional Anatomic Palpation Systems (F.A.P.™), Functional Range Release (F.R.®) Techniques, and Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)™, Dr. Spina has also authored chapters in various sports medicine textbooks, is a published researcher, and internationally renowned speaker on the topics of manual therapy, soft tissue assessment and treatment, mobility/flexibility training, and physical conditioning.

In this Show, You'll learn:

How we can maximize the efficiency of our anatomy so that we can improve movement and maintain health.

All about functional range release and functional range conditioning, and why they are relevant for yoga students and athletes

Why our actual soft tissue length and elasticity play such an important role when it comes to range of motion

Links & References from the Show

http://www.functionalanatomyseminars.com

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

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]]>51:01clean133: The "Food Babe" Attacks!Wed, 14 Jan 2015 12:19:57 +0000Ready to find out the scary truth about the food industry? In today’s episode, Vani Hari (aka "The Food Babe") talks about why it’s so important that we investigate what we eat. Vani is a food journalist and author taking on big food companies—and winning. To date, she has helped change foods produced by Kraft, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, and Subway. She has made appearances on CNN, ABC News and the Dr. Oz show, and her success stories have been covered by important papers such as the Washington Post, The New York Times and USA Today. Vani’s blog and her investigations have garnished international attention, and most importantly, helped lead to real change.

Tune in and find out more about why you should stay away from processed foods and what it is that you can do to help pave the way for positive change in the food industry.

In this Show, You'll learn:

All about the investigations Vani Hari has carried out and her success stories

The scary truth about additives and chemicals that are found in our food

Why a world without processed foods in unlikely due to present socio-economical issues

How you can hold big food manufacturers accountable, and help pave the way for change

Links & References from the Show

www.FoodBabe.com

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

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]]>38:54clean132: How to Live “On Purpose”Wed, 07 Jan 2015 17:01:13 +0000Do you struggle to find significance in you life? Meaning in your work? Purpose in your day-to-day routines? Living a life of purpose is something I think we all strive for, but it’s easier said than done. Listen in on this week’s Yoga Talk Show to learn more about the impact of food on our health from Ocean Robbins, the CEO of Food Revolution Network. Ocean is a an adjunct professor of Peace Studies at Chapman University, a blogger, a speaker, and a facilitator.

Ocean's grandfather founded, Baskin-Robbins (31 flavors) ice cream company, and his father is John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America which has inspired millions of people to live and eat in a more compassionate and sustainable way.

In this Show, You'll learn:

What is “Food 2.0” and why it’s killing us

All about the severity of today’s “toxic food culture”

Why ethics are interwoven with the food choices we make

How opting for a healthier lifestyle can impact our lives and planet for the better

Links & References from the Show

www.OceanRobbins.com

www.FoodRevolution.org

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

http://YogaBody.com

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]]>54:43clean131: Becoming a Supple LeopardWed, 24 Dec 2014 11:00:00 +0000Are you as supple a leopard or as bendy as a tortoise? The “supple leopard” himself, Kelly Starrett, joins YOGABODY for an insightful class on the importance of listening to your body whether practicing yoga or working out. Kelly is a coach, physical therapist, author, speaker, and creator of MobilityWOD, an amazing online resource center for athletes, cross-fitters, and anyone who is obsessed with movement and performance.

Learn how to bridge the divide between fitness folks and yoga students, finding the similarities and differences between the two practices. You’ll discover why self-care is essential and how to avoid potentially dangerous movement patterns, particularly if you’re a newbie. Kelly is the author of, Becoming a Supple Leopard a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, and he's got a new book out now called, Ready to Run.

In this Show, You'll learn:

Why “corrective exercise” is a form of self-administered physical therapy

How to stay safe with any movement practice (yoga included)

Why body workers and therapists are there to help, not heal you

Why the traditional R.I.C.E advice for recovery is completely flawed

Links & References from the Show

www.MobilityWod.com

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

http://YogaBody.com

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]]>36:56clean130: Broccoli - The DNA WhispererThu, 18 Dec 2014 12:10:35 +0000Can broccoli “talk” to your DNA? Listen and find out more about epigenetics, candida and GMO food with special guest, Tom Malterre. Tom is a certified nutritionist who travels throughout the United States and Canada lecturing on topics such as Vitamin D, Gluten Intolerance, and Digestive Health. He empowers people through classes, seminars, and private counseling with his insight and depth of knowledge on the biochemical interactions within our body and their relationship to our diet.

In this Show, You'll learn:

How food has an epigenetic influence that could be more important than your genetics

Why yeast, fungal overgrowth and candida are such huge problems

Vitamin D 101: why we need it, how much to tak, how to get tested

Links & References from the Show

www.wholelifenutrition.net

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

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]]>31:26clean129: Handstands & Flexibility Tips from an AcrobatThu, 11 Dec 2014 11:38:06 +0000Listen and learn all about acrobatics, inversions, hand-balancing and flexibility. This week’s guest, Andralyn Zayn, grew up as a competitive gymnast worked and trained with, The Underground Circus, in Vancouver before heading to circus school, where she specialized in hand-balancing and flexibility. During her studies, Andralyn created a new specialty that combined acrobatics and hand-balancing, and later developed a class that focused on increasing people’s ranges of motion and flexibility. She is now a PICP Level 1 and 2 Certified Personal Trainer, Agatsu Certified Kettlebell Instructor, and Certified Gymnastics Coach.

In this Show, You'll learn:

Flexibility “training” vs. stretching (they’re not the same!)

Basic hand, shoulder positioning for yoga vs gymnastics

Use of the wall, props, and strength training

Passive, dynamic, PNF & balistic stretching - who wins? g

Links & References from the Show

http://deflyingfitness.com/

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

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]]>47:28clean128: Yoga TuneUp - Alignment & Functional AnatomyWed, 03 Dec 2014 14:23:34 +0000Learn the importance of functional anatomy, correctives exercises and self-treating your body. Jill Miller is the co-founder of TuneUp Fitness Worldwide and creator of the corrective exercise format Yoga Tune Up®. With more than 28 years of study in fitness, yoga therapy and anatomy, she is a pioneer in forging relevant links between the worlds of fitness, yoga, massage, and pain-management. She trains teachers and high level athletes as well as average working people who simply want to learn how to move and live better in their bodies. Jill has also created various practice, self-care and fitness programs, and is the author of The Roll Model- A Step-by-Step Guide to Erase Pain and Live Better in your Body.

In this Show, You'll learn:

All about the Roll Model Method

Anatomical basics that yoga students should know

Stretches and poses to heal & rehab shoulders

How to beat chronic lower back pain

Links & References from the Show

https://www.yogatuneup.com/

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

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]]>50:30clean127: Human PerformanceThu, 27 Nov 2014 11:39:13 +0000Mark McClusky is the author of the new book, FASTER, HIGHER, STRONGER, and the Editor at WIRED.com in San Francisco. Prior to his work at WIRED, Mark was an editor at Mobile PC magazine, Editor in Chief of EA.com, and a reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated and SI for Kids magazines. He’s appeared on a lot of different shows, including Today, NBC Nightly News, PBS NewsHour, CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, and NPR.

In this Show, You'll learn:

What is more important in fitness, nature or nurture?

How the world of video games and social media lead to great gains in fitness

Why beetroot juice is currently the hottest performance-enhancing drink

How the advancements in sports science will affect kids choices in sports

Mark’s opinion on recent genetic and scientific breakthroughs

Links & References from the Show

http://www.mcclusky.com/

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

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]]>45:31clean126: Ayurveda, Food & YogaThu, 20 Nov 2014 14:43:27 +0000Rich Goldstein has been practicing yoga since 1981 and teaching Kundalini yoga since 2001. In 2000 Rich partnered with the founders of Yoga Yoga and has overseen the growth of the business from one yoga studio to five, building out the yoga wellness spa and initiating the development of Yoga Yoga Now, an online yoga studio.

Rich received his Masters in Public Health at the University of Texas, and is a leader in providing programs that support lifestyle health in collaboration with traditional healthcare.

]]>51:57cleanhealth,yoga,diet125: Raw Food for Real PeopleThu, 13 Nov 2014 10:21:59 +0000Nomi Shannon has been eating raw for over 25 years and still going strong at age 70. She is an award winning author and world renowned coach. Her best-selling book, The Raw Gourmet, has sold over 250,000 copies, making it one of the best-selling raw food books of all time.

In this Show, You’ll learn:

What to look out for when following a plant-based diet

The benefits and risks of fermented and dehydrated food

How to incorporate raw food into your diet without allowing it to dominate your life

The essential kitchen utensils for starting out with raw food

Links & References from the Showwww.RawGourmet.com

Got questions?

Write to us podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

]]>36:31clean124: Overcoming Life's Challenges With YogaThu, 06 Nov 2014 11:52:47 +0000Suzanne Bryant is a former journalist from New York City and became a certified yoga teacher in 2000 with Alan Finger of Ista Yoga. Suzanne has a Masters in Spiritual Psychology and Nutrition, and is the creator of the film YOGA IS, a modern yoga journey featuring celebrities such as Russell Simmons, Christy Turlington, Michael Franti and Buddhist scholar, Robert Thurman. The film in many ways captures the modern yoga experience so I’ve invited Suzanne on the show today to share her experience, her story, and role of yoga as she sees it through her lens.

In this Show, You’ll learn:

How yoga can help with emotional understanding and breakthroughs

The influence of the guru system of yoga and its path for the future

The importance of focusing on more than the physical aspects of yoga

How yoga has changed in the past decade or so and where it is going in the future

Angela Stokes-Monarch is a raw food-ist with an inspiring story about how starting a plant-based diet changed her life. She and her husband run a business together, The Raw Food World, along with a blog and YouTube channel, all promoting the amazing benefits of raw food. In 2002, prior to changing her diet and her life, Angela was morbidly obese due to a thyroid problem. Over the past 12 years, she has completed transformed her life. Speaking with Lucas, she explains her story and how you can improve your life, lose weight, and get healthy.

]]>01:14:24clean122: Yoga Anatomy for the Rest of UsThu, 23 Oct 2014 09:27:59 +0000Leslie Kaminoff is a yoga educator inspired by the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. He is an internationally recognized specialist with thirty five years’ experience in the fields of yoga, breath anatomy and bodywork.

Leslie currently practices in New York. He is the founder of the yoga blog, “e-Sutra,” and The Breathing Project, an educational non-profit in New York City dedicated to the teaching of individualized, breath-centered yoga.

Leslie teaches The Breathing Project's unique year-long courses in yoga anatomy, which are available online at yogaanatomy.net. He is the co-author, with Amy Matthews, of the best-selling “Yoga Anatomy,” with nearly 500,00 copies in print.

In this show you will learn:

§Why there is so much growing interest in yoga anatomy among students and teachers

§The difference between new school teachers and old guard yoga teachers

Dr. Dabbs has published work in some of the most respected orthopedic journals in the country. He created a program called, the Accelerated Back Care System and he's also the author of the book, This is Why Your Back Hurts.

In this Show, You'll learn:

✓ To understand the good, the bad and the complicated of being a chiropractor.

✓ How to identify the differences between "slipped disk", "bulging disk", and "herniated disk".

]]>49:55cleanhealth,back,pain120: Getting Started with At-Home Yoga PracticeWed, 08 Oct 2014 15:40:40 +0000Esther Ekhart and her partner Bas started creating short, free Yoga videos for YouTube in 2008 while living in Ireland. The videos became very popular very quickly with over 20 million views and counting.

In 2012, Esther and Bas moved back to the Netherlands and began fulltime work on EkhartYoga.com, a at-home practice site with extensive, full class and pose tutorials for student of all levels.

]]>41:42cleanyoga,home,at,esther,ekhart119: Is Technology to Blame for Your Back Pain?Thu, 02 Oct 2014 09:13:50 +0000Eric Goodman is a Doctor of Chiropractic and also holds a degree in Health Sciences and Physiology.

Dr. Goodman is the creator of Foundation Training, a system where he combines his experiences as a strength coach, personal trainer and Chiropractor to create a simple strengthening program that facilitates the body’s natural healing ability and quickly improves degenerative movement patterns.

While we're talking, you can visit his website at http://FoundationTraining.com

In this Show, You'll learn:

✔ The good, the bad and the complicated of being a chiropractor.

✔ What does all this "slipped disk", "bulging disk", and "herniated disk" really mean?

✔ If back pain is rooted in emotions or psychology.

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Questions - podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

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]]>48:18cleaninterview,eric,goodman,yoga,herniated,bulging,disk,chiropractor,slipper118: Learn How Yoga Keeps Runners Injury FreeFri, 26 Sep 2014 13:29:15 +0000 Van is the founder of Mind-Body Fitness, Inc., a Canadian company that has been teaching advanced health and fitness techniques to clients like the Canadian National Snowboard Team, Olympic athletes and coaches, and corporations like VISA and Intrawest since 1996.

In this Show, You'll learn:

✓ How yoga keeps runners injury-free

✓ How shorter practices can be better for runners

✓ The power of consistency (and the dangers of “weekend warrior” training

✓ Real yoga plans for real runners

YOGABODY Naturals

💻 www.YogaBodyNaturals.com

]]>01:02:55cleanrunning,for,yoga,stretching,runners117: Need More Mojo? Discover 8 Foods that Increase Libido…Thu, 18 Sep 2014 11:13:59 +0000Judy Gaman is an award winning author and public speaker. She has influenced and entertained audiences of all sizes, and her books can be found on the shelves at most national book chains as well as on Amazon.com

In this Show, You'll learn:

The truth about what makes (or breaks) the passionin your life

8 foods that are proven to turn on the fire

Real stories of people who’ve lost their mojo and then found it again

Real-world tips for busy people who want to get busy at home too

]]>53:01cleanvegan,mojo,plant116: Getting Started With Essential OilsWed, 10 Sep 2014 16:00:41 +0000Sarah Lobisco is a naturopathic doctor who speaks professionally on integrative medical topics, has several journal publications, and is a candidate for postdoctoral certification in functional medicine.

She currently has a private integrative medicine consulting practice in Ballston Spa, New York, where she incorporates her training in holistic medical practices with conventional medicine.

In this Show, You'll learn:

Why some people are more sensitive to smells.

How to discover which oils are more suitable for you.

If edible essential oils are good or bad for you.

How to start utilizing essential oils.

]]>46:38no115: Are You Eating Enough Protein?Fri, 05 Sep 2014 08:19:49 +0000Dr. John Douillard, DC has written and produced numerous health and fitness books, CDs, and DVDs. He has been teaching and lecturing internationally for 25 years and publishes a free wellness video-newsletter filled with the latest studies and research. He was the Director of Player Development for the New Jersey Nets in the NBA and currently directs the LifeSpa-Ayurvedic Retreat Center in Boulder, CO, where he lives with his wife and six children.

How yoga, breathing, and mind-body practices stimulate your nervous system—in a good way!

The often-overlooked science of yoga

The physiology of emotional dysfunction and how yoga can help

]]>51:21noscience,life,yoga,nerve,balance,relaxation,vagus113: Can Kids REALLY Learn Yoga?Thu, 21 Aug 2014 09:59:58 +0000Stephanie Johnson is a primary school teacher and yoga teacher in Sydney Australia and the founder of an organization called, That Yoga Feeling.

Last year, Stephanie took the plunge, took leave from her job and went to India to study to be a yoga teacher. Now, she teaches yoga at a community class in after school to children.

In this Show, You'll learn:

If kids can really be taught yoga.

Why you need to teach children to meditate.

How to teach kids to meditate.

]]>38:54noexercise,kids,yoga,children,meditation,nutrition,that,feeling112: How to Practice Yoga at WorkThu, 14 Aug 2014 09:34:04 +0000Jen Kluczkowski is an 800-Hour Certified Jivamutki Yoga teacher, the co-founder and yoga director of Yoga Means Business, a new concept that brings yoga to the workplace. Her organization has been featured in Fast Company, Men's Fitness, The Huffington Post, and many more publications.

Their corporate clients include Facebook, L'Oreal, and the Gilt Groupe, and for anyone stuck in an office most of the day, we're going to talk about some ways to bring yoga to your life.

In this Show, You'll learn:

The life experiences that lead to starting the business of taking yoga to the workplace.

How Yoga Means Business merges fitness with the work environment.

Why yoga is more accessible today than ever.

How a company’s staff integrates yoga into their daily routines.

]]>41:34nowork,business,yoga,at,means,yogi111: The Truth About Genetics & Athletic PerformanceThu, 07 Aug 2014 13:40:36 +0000David Epstein is an investigative reporter who has won numerous awards including the Society of Professional Journalists 2010 Deadline Club Award, Time Inc.’s Henry R. Luce Award for public service, and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association’s “Big Hearted Journalism” award among others.

Epstein is currently best-known for his New York Times bestselling book, The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance, and we're going to be talking about human performance, and discussing nature versus nurture in athletics.

In this Show, You'll learn:

If people are really getting physically faster and athletically superior each year.

What makes athletes anatomically and genetically different?

If it’s hard work, genetics, or both when it comes to athletics?

How the research in genetics and performance is impacting out lives.

]]>45:14nothe,new,york,david,book,sports,yoga,times,lucas,bestselling,gene,bestseller,rockwood,epsteing110: How Important Is Core Strength in YogaFri, 01 Aug 2014 14:55:53 +0000Jenni Rawlings is a highly-experienced yoga teacher and the founder of the first dedicated yoga store in the U.S. called, Drishti in Santa Barbara. She's done extensive training with a particular emphasis on anatomy and biomechanics.

In this Show, You'll learn:

Whether or not you should aim to have your mula bandha engaged for your entire practice.

How to better instruct yoga students to engage their core.

What exercises can be complementary to a yoga practice.

]]>51:28noyoga,teacher,jenni,bandha,rawlings109: Yoga Should be Accessible to Everyone Because of its Priceless Health BenefitsWed, 23 Jul 2014 16:07:38 +0000Peggy Kwisuk Hong has been teaching Iyengar Yoga since 2001 and is certified as an Intermediate Junior II teacher by the Iyengar Yoga National Association. She lives in Detroit where she founded, taught, and directed a nonprofit Iyengar Yoga center, Riverwest Yogashala, from 2003-2012.

Peggy has done very interesting work with Karma yoga, or yoga of service, and with my company, we're always trying to find new and effective ways to donate our time and funds, so this is why I've invited Peggy on the show today.

In this Show, You'll learn:

How Peggy is democratizing yoga so it’s available to everyone.

What makes Iyengar Yoga special and why you should practice it.

What “Community Gift Yoga” is and how it’ll change the world.

]]>51:39nohealth,yoga,iyengar,karma108: How to Serve 2 Million Meals on a Daily Basis & Change the WorldThu, 17 Jul 2014 11:08:00 +0000Paul Rodney Turner, the “Food Yogi” is the international director of Food for Life and the co-founder of Food for Life Global, the world headquarters for the charity.

Food for Life is the largest plant-based food relief project in the world with helping people in over 50 countries and serving up to 2 million meals daily.

In this Show, You'll learn:

Why Paul is called the “food yogi” and what it means to him.

How Food for Life is serving millions of meals to people in need.

The easy and hard things of having been a monk for 14 years.

How food can be meditative and spiritual.

]]>39:51nofood,life,for,yoga,meditation,nutrition,compassion,yogi107: Learn How To Grow Your Own Food in Your Own HomeThu, 10 Jul 2014 14:59:40 +0000Gary and Valerie are the cofounders of the Grow Your Own Food Summit. Gary Heine is the co-founder of Heine Brothers’ Coffee an importer and roaster of organic, fair-trade coffee with distribution in nine Louisville, Kentucky cafes. Valerie is the co-founder of the not-for-profit 15Thousand Farmers which teaches people how to grow food simply at home. She has also served as Executive Director for Eco Soul for many years supporting sustainable energy projects.

In this Show, You'll learn:

What fair trade means and why is it so important particularly on coffee, chocolate, and cotton.

Why they're so passionate about teaching people to growth their own foods.

How to get started planting and growing your own food at home.

]]>32:22nofood,gary,organic,yoga,your,grow,own,valerie,heine,kausman106: How To Live Life on the Wild Side & Release The Primitive YouThu, 03 Jul 2014 11:45:28 +0000Daniel Vitalis is a Health, Nutrition, and Personal Development Strategist. He encourages people to “ReWild Themselves”.

He is the creator of FindASpring.com, a great resource to help people find fresh, clean, wild water wherever they live, and the founder of Surthrival, a lifestyle, health and adventure brand. Daniel was recently featured in the documentary film, “Hungry For Change”. You can find him at Surthrival.com or DanielVitalis.com.

In this Show, You'll learn:

What “rewild” means and why it’s more important than ever.

How to blend food and exercise into a more holistic plan.

Why eating locally grown superfoods beats the imported stuff.

]]>55:28noshow,yoga,talk,nutrition,survival,daniel,paleo,vitalis,rewild105: Yoga Handstands: All the Tips, Tricks & Techniques You Ever Wanted to KnowThu, 26 Jun 2014 09:06:01 +0000David Kyle has developed a wonderful yoga practice and will teach you all he knows about handstands and inversions. David is a professional yoga teacher and trainer who lives and works in Puerto Rico. He evolved from break-dancer to yogi and learned that it was much more complicated to stand still in a handstand than to jump around in it.

In this Show, You'll learn:

The truth about strength, size and yoga (a.k.a. do you need huge muscles?)

Overcoming the “fear of falling” and how to take it step-by-step when learning to be upside down

The “mental game” of inversions and the importance of concentration and visualization

]]>01:15:53nointerview,yoga,teaching,teacher,practice,inversions,handstands104: How-To Get Smooth, Toned, Cellulite Free Legs, NaturallyWed, 18 Jun 2014 14:36:03 +0000Many people join yoga to get fit and toned but a large portion also do it to get rid of cellulite. Joey Atlas is an expert in reversing the causes of cellulite. Joey is the author of a bestseller on Amazon.com and has 2 degrees in exercise physiology.

In this Show, You'll learn:

What exactly is cellulite?

Whether cellulite is genetic or not?

Who’s more prone to cellulite?

If beauty products for cellulite are effective?

]]>46:36noyoga,top,tone,atlas,fat,burn,muffin,legs,joey,cellulite,exerise103: Meatonomics - When a $5 Big Mac Really Costs $13Fri, 13 Jun 2014 10:49:30 +0000David Simon is a lawyer and advocate for sustainable consumption. He's the author of the book, Meatonomics, a book about the economic impact the meat, fish, egg and dairy industry is having on our economy and lives.

In this Show, You'll learn:

If grass fed meat is really better socially and economically.

Which has the biggest impact, meat or dairy.

How a hamburger costs $1, the reality behind that price.

Possible solutions to a broken food market.

]]>42:22nobig,david,mac,yoga,industry,simon,meat,meatonomics102: How to Be a Healthy Vegetarian, Eliminate Vitamin & Mineral DeficienciesThu, 05 Jun 2014 11:48:02 +0000Have you ever wondered why some people look and feel great on a plant-based diet long term while most people end up quitting? Trevor Justice has dedicated a large portion of his life promoting a healthy vegetarian lifestyle and is the director of The Vegetarian Health Institute.

In this Show, You'll learn:

The truth about B12

1 simple trick for absorbing iron

Where to get Vit D in plant foods

The big problem with Omega-6 plant oils

]]>53:50clean101: Happy Belly, Good bugs vs. Bad bugs & Your Guts HealthThu, 29 May 2014 10:30:13 +0000Donna Gates, writer of The Body Ecology Diet speaks about how to restore and maintain the important "inner ecology" your body needs to function properly and to eliminate or control the symptoms that rob you of the joy of living.]]>01:19:38cleanfitness,foods,health,yoga,diet,lucas,gates,stomach,donna,fermented,intestine,rockwood,naturals,yogabody100: Yoga for Golfers - Improved Performance on the GreenThu, 22 May 2014 13:51:10 +0000Roger Fredericks is golf instructor who's worked on flexibility with over 20,000 golfers and 60+ Tour Players, which include such Hall of Famers as Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus.

In this Show, You'll learn:

The #1 most neglected aspect of health & fitness.

How to identify poor posture in yourself and others.

A quick and easy flexibility test.

]]>51:00no99: Sprouting For Life, Energy & Welness w/ The SproutmanFri, 16 May 2014 07:55:01 +0000Steve Meyerowitz is considered the “sproutman” He began teaching indoor gardening and sprouting in New York, he’s the author of Sprouts the Miracle Food, Sproutman’s Kitchen Garden Cookbook, and Wheatgrass Nature’s Finest Medicine.

In this Show, You'll learn:

How to mineralize your body through young sprouts.

The role of fasting and juicing as natural medicine.

The energy boost that comes from eating live sprouts.

]]>01:19:13cleanhealth,yoga,wellness,sproutman,sprouting98: Mind-Body Weight Loss w/ Out Dieting - Jon GabrielThu, 08 May 2014 14:09:56 +0000Jon Gabriel was a Wal Street trader that weighed over 400 pounds until he began researching everything he could about the hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters and chemical massagers that cause weight gain. Over a two-and-half-year period he lost 220 pounds, without dieting and is now the creator of The Gabriel Method.

In this Show, You'll learn:

How to stop dieting and start nourishing.

Why it’s important to improve digestion.

The importance of a mind-body approach to weight loss.

]]>01:11:56cleanmind,body,jon,method,gabriel97: Low-Sugar Juice Secrets w/Tina Leigh, Raw Food ChefWed, 30 Apr 2014 15:43:28 +0000Tina Leigh is wellness counselor, yoga teacher, therapeutic chef. Having contended with her own health challenges, she is deeply empathetic and resonates with others who are on their journey to whole body wellbeing. She is the author of 2 books, Balance Raw and Superfood Juices & Smoothies. ]]>39:20cleanwellness,leigh,mind,body,raw,balance,tina,wellbeing,counseling,smoothies,juices,superfood96: Emotional affirmations meet fitness and yoga through the work of Erin StutlandWed, 23 Apr 2014 15:26:30 +0000Erin is the creator of Shrink Session, a fitness program available in gyms across the country—and an at-home version is available on demand.

Erin is the featured trainer in the popular fitness app, PUMP ONE. She has created video workouts for SHAPE.COM and has appeared as a lifestyle and fitness expert for the HEALTHGURU.com. Erin’s mission is to inspire, educate and empower people in a fun, and entertaining way.

In this Show, You'll learn:

How to use positive affirmations with your fitness

Why self-talk combined with self-practice lead to big changes

How to keep your daily fitness routine mind-body focused

]]>37:32nofitness,health,yoga,nutrition,erin,affirmations,stutland95: Stunning view into your health and nutrition, Food Matters the film is a must see.Tue, 15 Apr 2014 09:45:19 +0000Laurentine ten Bosch and James Colquhoun are nutritionists become filmmakers that felt compelled to share the real world story of food and nutrition. Today Food Matters has launched FMTV where you can find the very best films and documentaries about health and wellness.

In this Show, You'll learn:

What is in the soil where your plants are being grown.

How we’ve strayed from natures natural design.

The benefits of permaculture as food production.

How agriculture and our bodies are interconnected.

]]>56:44cleanjames,food,fitness,health,yoga,nutrition,matters,ten,bosch,colquhoun,fmtv,laurentine94: Are Edible Insects the Future of Food For Yoga Freaks?Thu, 10 Apr 2014 11:37:09 +0000Ger Van Der Wal is one of the biggest proponents of eating bugs, insects and things that will normally make your skin crawl. He’s the founder of Deli Bugs and online shop where you can try some crickets, grasshoppers, ants and even worms.

In this Show, You'll learn:

Why insects are the future of food

Why insect protein might just be better than any other protein on the planet

How bugs can be tasty & delicious

How to experiment with bug eating

]]>45:05cleanfood,future,yoga,foodie,nutrition,diet,insects,edible,bugs93: The Yoga Of Sleep, Mindful Sleep & Mindful Dreams with Dr. Rubin NaimanFri, 04 Apr 2014 08:06:15 +0000Rubin Naiman, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in integrative sleep and dream medicine. He is director of Circadian Health Associates, an organization that provides information, goods and services in support of sleep health.

In this Show, You'll learn:

Why we physically and spiritually need sleep.

How to setup an appropriate sleep environment.

How and why sleep is important for your health.

The role of waking, dreaming and sleeping.

]]>01:18:19nopodcast,yoga,dreams,dr,lucas,mindfulness,sleep,rubin,mindful,rockwood,naiman92: “This Ain’t Your Mamas Yoga”, Yoga Blacksheep, Diamond Dallas Page.Thu, 27 Mar 2014 11:01:59 +0000After horrible back injuries Diamond Dallas Page went from pro wrestler to passionate yoga teacher. Page’s mission it to make yoga available for the “regular guy” and his book, DVDs and education do just that.

In this Show, You'll learn:

How Dallas healed a major L4/L5 injury using yoga

How Dallas helped a disabled war vet regain his ability to walk (and run, and teach and practice yoga)

How Dallas’ “everyman” style is opening up yoga to “non-yoga” people all over the world

]]>01:06:22yesyoga,dallas,back,diamond,injury,page,ashtanga91: Turn the world into a giant food forest, Howard Jacobson’s ultimate goal.Thu, 20 Mar 2014 10:42:41 +0000Howard Jacobson, PhD, is an online marketing consultant, health educator, and ecological gardener from Durham, N.C. He earned a Masters of Public Health and Doctor of Health Studies degrees from Temple University, and a BA in History from Princeton.

Howard cofounded VitruvianWay.com, an online marketing agency, and is a coauthor of Google AdWords For Dummies. His current life goal is to turn the world into a giant food forest.

]]>42:17cleanthe,based,agriculture,book,yoga,china,vegan,whole,howard,plant,study,way,horticulture,jacobson,vitruvian90: Healthy Heart & Diet – Joel Kahn – SaltWed, 12 Mar 2014 17:01:28 +0000Medical Doctor, Joel Kahn is a leading authority in heart disease prevention and reversal. He's the author of the soon-to-be released book called, The Holistic Heart Book. You may have also seen him on TV or read his Reader's Digest column.

]]>36:38cleantips,health,yoga,joel,heart,dr,diet,holistic,kahn89: Working Happier – Stella Grizont – Meal TimingFri, 07 Mar 2014 09:56:24 +0000Stella Grizont is the founder and CEO of Woopaah, a company that focused on The Science of Happiness, "hacks and skills to flourish." She creates immersive play experiences for people at work to feel happier, more creative, and connected.

Her clients include Google, Columbia University, and New York City's Department of Transportation. Stella was one of the first people to earn a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

]]>48:53cleanhappiness,psychology,yoga,positive,gravity,stella,timing,meal,screaming,grizont88: Flow States of Consciousness – Steven Kotler – Making SoupThu, 27 Feb 2014 10:06:00 +0000Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and co-founder and director of research for the Flow Genome Project. His books include the non-fiction works "The Rise of Superman," "Abundance," "A Small Furry Prayer".

]]>46:31nothe,of,superman,yoga,sun,flow,project,states,steven,salutations,gravity,rise,genome,kotler87: Animal Rights Activism – Jasmin Singer – MSMThu, 20 Feb 2014 15:07:42 +0000Jasmin Singer is the co-founder and director of, Our Hen House, a non-profit animal rights activist organization as well as an extremely popular podcast by the same name. Jasmin also has a really amazing personal story of health transformation.

]]>48:41cleanhouse,singer,advice,health,yoga,our,animal,nutrition,rights,hen,jasmin,trapeze86: Learn To Dance – Karen X – OatsThu, 13 Feb 2014 09:00:00 +0000Karen X rose to notoriety after one of her YouTube videos went viral. In that video Karen taught herself to dance in a year. Now she’s on a mission to encourage people to practice something for 100 days.

]]>31:23noeducation,karenx,giveit10085: Everyday Paleo – Sarah Fragoso – Soy BeansThu, 06 Feb 2014 09:37:45 +0000Sarah Fragoso, best-selling author of EVERY DAY PALEO, author of the Every Day Paleo Family Cookbook as well as Everyday Paleo Around the World: Italian Cuisine and the soon to be released Everyday Paleo Around the World: Thai Cuisine.

Perhaps best known for his "Bulletproof Coffee," Dave is a pioneer in nutrition for cognitive performance not just physical performance. Basically, he's the guy CEO's go to when they want to get more stuff done and not die in the process.

]]>43:20noyou,high,hacking,health,dave,nutrition,diet,fat,cognitive,bio,asprey,upgraded83: Calorie Myth – Jonathan Bailor – AlcoholThu, 23 Jan 2014 09:00:00 +0000After 10 years of research, analyzing over 1,300 studies, and garnering endorsements by top doctors from Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins, Yale, and UCLA, Jonathan Bailor is a nutrition and exercise expert and former personal trainer who specializes in using high-quality food and exercise to simplify wellness and weight loss.

He is an extremely popular podcaster. His show is called, and that is also the name of his soon-to-be released book which I'm excited to be getting a review copy of later this week.

]]>57:55noloss,yoga,healthy,diet,weight,jonathan,calories,fat,nutritious,bailor82: Why Supplements – The Caltons – Protein PowdersThu, 16 Jan 2014 09:00:00 +0000The Caltons are among the world's leading experts on the topics of weight management, lifestyle medicine and micronutrient deficiency. Their high success rate working with adults and children to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse health and disease conditions has made their consultancy highly sought after by celebrities, athletes and top corporate executives around the world. It is their belief that becoming micronutrient sufficient is the first step towards preventing and reversing many of today's most prevalent health conditions and diseases.

]]>01:01:06nonutrition,powder,supplements,protein,micronutrients,caltons,nutreince81: The Virgin Diet – JJ Virgin – Fruit JuiceThu, 09 Jan 2014 09:00:00 +0000JJ Virgin is a fitness and nutrition expert, a speaker and media personality. She has over 25 years experience and is the author of The NY Times bestseller The Virgin Diet: Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, Just 7 Days.

The Virgin Diet has also been a bestseller in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, and numerous other media outlets. JJ is also the author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, published by Simon & Schuster Gallery, and co-starred on the TLC reality series, “Freaky Eaters”.

]]>39:44nofitness,book,virgin,nutrition,diet,jj,sugar80: Meditation – Emily Fletcher - SteviaWed, 01 Jan 2014 23:00:00 +0000Emily Fletcher is a mediation teacher with extensive training in Vedic meditation, she had a 10-year career on Broadway including roles Chicago, The Producers, A Chorus Line and many other shows. She first experienced the benefits of meditation as an actress and she now helps every day people, celebrities, and everyone in between discover the powerful benefits of meditation in their lives.

]]>47:48noemily,meditation,fletcher,vedic79: Improved Walking - Jonathan FitzGordon - SproutsThu, 26 Dec 2013 09:00:00 +0000Jonathan has been practicing yoga since 1995 and has been teaching since 2000, having studied with some of the yoga community’s leading teachers. He owned and operated the Yoga Center of Brooklyn from 2001-2009 and created the CoreWalking Program in 2005 because walking is something we all do and walking correctly is an amazing way to bring positive change to our ageing bodies.

]]>57:39nogreen,yoga,tea,walking,sprouting,corewalking,psoas78: BurstFIT - Deep Sleep - Goals & Support - Dr. Axe - About MSGThu, 19 Dec 2013 09:00:00 +0000Dr. Axe’s calling to natural health and medicine came when he was a child and saw his mother battle an illness. He has since founded the Exodus Health Center one of America’s largest wellness clinics as well as being the co-founder of BurstFit. Lucas also answer listener questions about yoga and flexibility. This week’s nutritional tip is all about MSG.

]]>40:09nofood,health,yoga,natural,dr,healing,axe,msg,medecine77: Weight Loss & Healing – Katrina Love Senn – AspartameThu, 12 Dec 2013 09:00:00 +0000Katrina struggles through her teenage years with her body, weight and self-image. She admits to dieting from very young and very unsuccessfully. Katrina delves into how she changed her life after a frightening situation in Australia. We also have lots of answers to your question ranging from how to do a behind the back arm reach and tips on proper headstand technique to whether or not yoga is appropriate for people with hip issues. The nutritional tip is regarding aspartame, an artificial sweetener, you won’t want to miss this episode.

]]>41:12noloss,love,health,yoga,natural,weight,dieting,healing,katrina,senn76: Super Shrink Me – Ike Allen – Reverse VegetarianismThu, 05 Dec 2013 09:30:00 +0000In episode 76 Lucas speaks with Ike Allen, founder of Avaiya, filmmaker, philosopher and creator of Super Shrink Me, a film where Ike eats junk food for 30 days and he does just fine. In our Q & A we get answers to, yoga and boxing, downward facing dog technique, best time of day for yoga and so much more. The nutritional tip has to do with: reverse vegetarianism. Listen to learn more about all that stuff.

]]>52:14nofitness,health,yuri,trainer,grand,nutrition,personal,fat,holistic,autoimmune,belly,mal,seizures,alopecia,elkaim73: Amazon Healer - Nick Polizzi - Water & HydrationFri, 15 Nov 2013 12:22:00 +0000Lucas: Welcome to the Yoga Talk Show, your one-stop destination for all things yoga, health and wellness. So hello and welcome, everyone. This is Lucas Rockwood, and I'm here today with Nick Polizzi, who is the creator of Sacred Science and he was also heavily involved with Simply Raw, two films that most of you are probably very familiar with. And if you're not familiar with them, you'll be familiar with them very soon.

I met Nick about a year ago in New York city at a conference, and it's really interesting. There's kind of frontline people and then behind the scenes people, and it's interesting because the behind the scenes people do a lot of the heavy lifting and a lot of the conceptual work and so it was really interesting and exciting for me to meet Nick, who was involved in the film Simply Raw, which already had a huge impact on me and my life and on a lot of our listeners' lives as well.

In any case, Nick's going to be talking to us today about his wild adventures in alternative health, raw food, herbal medicine and medicinal healing. So thanks for joining us, Nick.

Nick: Oh, it's a pleasure to be here.

Lucas: So as we're having this chat, you're right in the middle of a big launch of Sacred Silence, which is a film that you shared with me about a year ago. And for people who are listening who have never heard of anything kind of off the wall, medicine man, healers, (01:23) give us an overview of what that whole project was all about.

Nick: So just going back to Simply Raw, I've been involved in a couple films before The Sacred Silence, and both of them were about alternative healing strategies. One is the Tapping Solution that's all about meridian points and tapping on different spots on your upper torso while going through traumatic events from your past and releasing pain that way, which is more of a Chinese medicine style.

Then Simply Raw came along, and that was more of a nutrition-based, super food-based film. As we made those movies, while we were interviewing the different experts that you saw in each of those, (02:05) it felt like a lot of them, when we asked them about the origins of their teaching, were turning to more indigenous practices, in particular Shamanism.

So we kind of took note of it, but when we were making those films you kind of keep your eye on the ball and keep creating the film that you're making. But I was really curious about Shamanism by the time I had finished making those two films, or being involved in those two films. So once those films were out, the next project for me was, hey let's at least take a look at Shamanism, figure out what it's all about.

And we sort of scoured the globe for the most Shamanic-rich cultures, and the Amazon has one of the most, if not the most, dense percentage of Shamans per capita on the planet. So we went down to the jungle, started doing some research. Not only is there a really thriving culture of Shamanism, medicine man, I'm not sure if your viewers are familiar with this idea of the indigenous healer. (03:14) The Shaman is somebody who plays the role of both the priest, the healer and the wisdom keeper in any given tribe.

If you look into different parts of the world, most indigenous cultures have a Shamanic-type structure, where there isn't really a government, there isn't really a -- what interested us most about the Amazon was that not only does it have a very rich lineage of healing in a lot of the remote cultures that live within the jungle, (03:50) but the jungle itself is home to over 44,000 species of plants, less than 3% of which have been studied by modern medicine for their medicinal value.

So we thought to ourselves, okay so on one hand we have what we're looking for. There are amazing medicine men, medicine women in this culture that are doing incredible work, but on top of that they have the benefit of a pharmacopeia of amazing healing plants that haven't been studied by modern medicine yet. That's what led us down to the jungle, and that's what pretty much culminated in the film, The Sacred Science.

Lucas: So you're this guy and (04:25) what makes you want to make movies about energy healing, about raw food, about medicine men? Most independent filmmakers are making movies about two disturbed teenagers wandering across the Brooklyn Bridge and things like this. What prompted you to do this? Did you have a health crisis in your life? Is there a health crisis in somebody else's life? Is it just something that's always fascinated you?

Nick: I never really knew what it was until at one of the film festivals we were in, during the Q&A it just popped out and I realized that that was probably what it was. I realized what it was. (04:59) I was hit by lightening when I was 16, and it's really interesting how we a lot of times forget or compartmentalize and disregard some of the significant things that have happened to us in our life as just being, 'Oh, that can't possibly be contributing to where I am now.'

But once I got hit by lightening, and it wasn't some crazy, sacred thing where I was on top of a mountain and it just happened and it was this amazing, enlightening experience. I was playing basketball in my driveway and it was during a thunderstorm, and lightening came up as I was going up for a lay-up and hit my basketball hoop. I was after that, a much different person. It did something. I don't know how woo-woo you want to get, but it definitely shifted something inside me, and there were a lot of episodes I had that were unexplainable. Nick Ortner, producer of The Tapping Solution, a good friend of mine, helped me through and was fascinated by. He had no way of understanding them, neither did I.

I didn't need to be sold on holistic medicine. Let's put it that way. I didn't need to be sold on energy work. That was something I already had a dose of, probably too soon, without having any way of understanding what it was. But I probably was initiated into some sort of spiritual healing practice when I got hit by lightening when I was 16.

My career has somehow manifested in such a way that I get to make films about this stuff. So that's the origin probably of how I started on this path, and then once I started making films about alternative medicine all the rest of my career kind of just filled in by itself and that's where I am right now. (07:11) I'm on this path of trying to figure out how to legitimize a lot of these archaic, traditional healing methods that have been kind of discarded over the last 1,000 years. So I don't know why I love this so much, but it's kind of all I ever want to do. It's really all I want to do is create films that explore new healing modalities. Sorry, that was a long answer.

Lucas: No, no, it's interesting. I think if the sky parts and strikes you down, I can imagine that would have a profound impact on everything thus forward. One thing that I'd like to ask you about, because you've gone down in the Amazon, you experienced some really freaky, alternative stuff. One thing that I find in the alternative world, and this is me speaking as somebody who's guilty of this, as anybody else, but as soon as we get into the alternative world we immediately assume alternative is better. We throw away all the conventional stuff. So I'm just curious. You took some pretty ill people into the jungle and you took some people who would normally be on very, very conventional medicines to very alternative medicines. I'm wondering your totally biased opinion, how did you walk away from that? (08:26) Did you walk away thinking, hey this is the answer or this is an answer or how did your perception change in terms of finding a balance between allopathic medicine and traditional healing medicine?

Nick: I think I walked away with a feeling that might not be as interesting as I wish it was. I think my feeling was that some of these methods are extremely effective at treating certain illnesses. The neurological disorders, like Parkinson's, incredible. (08:59) There are things going on in the jungle right now that are going to be probably heard about relatively soon, plants that are being discovered that it's like night and day with what you're seeing right now on the market for Parkinson's and MS and things like that.

But other things, like cancer, one of our patients in the film had extreme results, beneficial results from cancer. A few of the other patients didn't, and that was kind of how it was. And I think that's probably why people look at our film as being reliable or trustworthy, is because we show you both. We're showing you what does work, what doesn't work.

But I think that my overarching feeling about these modalities is probably a little bit more boring now than it was before I went down there. I think I went down there with this idea that, wow this is all going to cure everybody. (0948) But I think that my feeling right now is that modern medicine and natural medicine are both very important, and modern medicine is extremely good at treating acute conditions but it's terrible at treating chronic ones. I think that Amazonian medicine and indigenous medicine in general is really good at treating the chronic conditions.

So I think they both have a very substantial role to play. It's just that one of them is dominating right now, and we need to sort of leave some breathing room for the natural medicines to come in. David Wolfe says it really well. He says 200 years ago, if Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall you wouldn't be able to put him back together again. Now you can. But you also have ridiculous increases in chronic conditions, too, right now.

So I think that both of them are very valid, and I think our mission really is to just give voice to the natural medicines that have sort of been ignored or discarded, discredited over the last 200 years. So that's how I feel about it. Just as a wrap up, the beautiful thing about the Amazonian traditions and other indigenous healing traditions, in Siberia and in Australia, is that they treat you from within, so that even the patients that didn't get healing results in our film still email me now talking about how even though their body didn't heal the way they wanted it to there were life-changing spiritual transformations that happened that they continue to feel the benefits from.

Lucas: Yeah, I think there's no question that the mind aspect in healing is just really coming to the forefront right now and it's pretty undeniable to bring that into any kind of healing modality. When I was a teenager, I used to spend summers in the Sierras in California, working at about 10,000 feet with a string of burrows. One summer I was up there and I met this guy. He scared the pants off me, actually. He would spend the entire winter in the cabins that I would live in when I was up there. And spending a winter at 10,000 feet in the California Sierras is like spending a winter on the moon or Antarctica or something. Nothing should live. In May, there's still snow everywhere.

He was this big, big, giant guy, nearly seven feet tall, didn't have any meat left on his body. I kind of got his story, and he'd been coming there and he considered himself the caretaker of this cabin. Nobody had ever hired him, nobody ever knew he came but he'd been the winter caretaker for something like 25 years. He had really, really bad gear, so he would come in on cross-country skis, come in about 35 miles on cross country skis.

In any case, I thought this guy is going to know these plants. I was spending all this time on the land and I was fishing in the creeks and I was really trying -- the truth is, there isn't much. When you get that high, things really start to die. But I figured this guy's going to know the land. It was interesting, he did. He knew every single thing you could eat, and again, there weren't many. And he knew about the different kinds of fish and how the fish were originally brought in and they weren't native and all these kind of things.

What was interesting to me, I think it kind of relates to what you were saying, is (13:27) a lot of times the biggest revelations are really pretty subtle. His big thing, his big take away from the Sierras was this willow bark. This willow bark, he discovered, was similar to aspirin, which was helpful in terms of pain from his walking around in bad shoes, but he also found that it had this anti-aphrodisiac property, which he thought, of course, a solitary male basically living like a monk in a hut. He thought this was going to be the next big thing. He thought if they just gave this to teenage boys, like the truancy and the delinquency rates were going to completely drop through the floor. But it was interesting and it was really, really subtle. He'd find a natural form of pain relief and a natural way to deal with what would normally drive a man from the forest, which is his libido.

Interesting stuff. (14:29) So I also know in the film, there was one gentleman who didn't make it. Is that right?

Nick: Yes, that's true.

Lucas: That's pretty heavy. How did that impact you? How did that impact the group? Were you prepared for that? How did that go down?

Nick: I was not prepared for that. (14:49) As much as we knew it was a possibility, obviously we took very sick patients down to the jungle, we were prepared for it in terms of on the ground with the right services and everything that somebody would need, but in terms of emotionally I wasn’t prepared for it. I'm an optimistic guy. Even though I throw myself into pretty intense situations, I always like to sort of expect the best result to happen. I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared for it, and it was a really intense experience.

The gentleman who died, he was suffering from neuroendocrine cancer, and he was one of my -- I hate to say this, but he was one of my favorites of the patients. He and I bonded really well beforehand during our interview. We visited each patient in their home before we went down there, and got a read on who they really were and he was just such an incredible guy. And of all the people that you see in the film, he's probably the guy, even though he's got a serious health condition, he's probably the guy you least expect to be the one that passes away.

In the beginning of the film, we tell everyone five people get real healing results, two people leave disappointed and one person doesn't come back, period. So everyone knows that somebody's going to pass away. Some people think what we mean by that is they're going to stay down there and become a Shaman, but I think most people understand that there probably is going to be somebody that passes away. Most people don't think it's going to be this person.

In a really kind of tacky or inappropriate way, the fact that he passed away was incredible for the shaping of the movie, and I think that he's the kind of guy who is probably humorously, from wherever he is now, looks at it as being the perfect addition to this project, because he was so about what we were doing and he was such a sweet soul and he knew, later on after talking to his family, his loved ones, they had all said goodbye to him before he even came down because his condition had worsened since we had seen him during the interview. So he knew, his family knew that he was going to pass away. He just didn't let us in on it, so it was kind of a surprise.

So yeah, he's an awesome guy and it's really more sad for me, not from the project's perspective but because I just wanted to spend -- I wanted to be friends with him. He and I had plans to hang out afterwards. But from the perspective of the film, I think it really gave us the opportunity to talk about our society, conventional Western society's relationship with life and death, and that was a gift because a lot of what the healers in the jungle talk about is this dying process. It's this fear of the unknown. (17:50) The dying experience, when you boil it down to its essence, really comes down to the fear of the unknown, which is a fear that we experience every single day. It's just that when you die you really have no way of peaking around the corner and seeing where you're doing.

So Gary's passing gave us the opportunity to really go into that, because it shocks the audience. When you see somebody pass away in a documentary that you're attached to, in real time, it brings up a lot of issues. So it gave us the perfect opening for one of the medicine men, named Habin, to talk about life and death and all the misconceptions and all the crazy storylines and how desperately we avoid even thinking about it here in the West and how alive and part of the healing culture it is down in the Amazon. Something that is looked at as being a gift, and it's not nearly as feared as it is here. So it was a really mixed bag, but like everything that's happened with this film, it really turned out to be perfect.

Lucas: (18:56) So I guess the million-dollar question is if you had to do it all over again, would you cast him? Would you bring him down again? Do you think you made the right choice?

Nick: Yes, I do, 100%, 100%. Listen, if I had reason to believe that his passing could have been avoided by him staying up here or having some other course of treatment, then I would obviously not have brought him down. But this man had tried everything, and he was paying like, gosh, I'm trying to remember what the figure is, I don't want to misquote him because he says this in the film, but I think he says he was paying $2,000 or $3,000 a month for a shot that he was getting to sort of keep the cancer at bay a little bit, but it was still failing. And he had no money. He had no ability to afford it. It was not something that was covered by his healthcare. And he said he was sick of it and it made him feel terrible and he was in pain every day, and this was his last and final option. (19:51) So 100%, I would have brought him down, I think it was a perfect way for him to make his transition.

Lucas: Interesting. (20:02) Nick, before we wrap up here, tell people about what you're working on next, how they can get a hold of you and if they want to see what you're up to and how they can connect with your films.

Nick: Sure. First of all, we have a free screening going on right now. It ends tomorrow, Thursday, October 17th. So if you want to watch Sacred Science for free, just come visit us, TheSacredScience.com/screening and you'll get the information you need to register and we'll send you all the details you need to tune in not only to the film but also to a bunch of really awesome guest speakers that we have presenting. Most of them have already presented their material, but we have links to all those things that will be sent to you via email. So again, TheSacredScience.com/screening and you can watch the film for free.

In terms of what we're working on next, this film has really opened up a lot of doors. The first two films were great, in terms of giving us great experience on how to actually go about making film, but this one has been in a ton of film festivals and we've had a lot of opportunities surface since it's been released. It's kind of a tough decision for us. (21:13) We want to either go further into Shamanism itself or start making a film or two about some of the lessons we've learned that have come up from the ceremonies we sat in, things that we've noticed about society that are really quirky and conspicuous that we'd like to point our cameras at.

(21:38) One of our next films is most likely going to take us to the Siberian Steppes and into some remote regions of China and Mongolia, to sort of track down the earliest and potentially the most Shamanic traditions there are on the planet. (21:57) One of our other films are going to be addressing an institution that has existed for thousands and thousands of year and that may or may not be serving us. So there's two different films. We'll keep you posted.

If you join us for the Sacred Science free screening, you'll get all kinds of updates about future films as well.

Lucas: Sounds great, Nick. Thanks for all the information. Speaking of your new films, one thing that resonates with me is everywhere I go I feel like people are desperate for rites of passage and ceremonies, and I think a lot of the interest in ayurvedic medicine, in medicinal healers, in Shamanism, I think a lot of it comes back to that. So many people have lost their faith in whatever it is, so it's interesting stuff. I'm excited to see what comes next.

Again, thanks so much for joining us. (22:49) Everybody listening, check out SacredScience.com, and thanks, Nick, and we'll talk to you real soon.

Q: (23:14) I've done a bit of research, and the correct term for my condition is Lordosis. I can't stretch my arms or shoulders back very far. I'm not sure if this is connected to that or something different. Wondering if the yoga trapeze will help to straighten this out.

A: If you don't know, the yoga trapeze is an inversion device that we manufacture and we teach students how to use. It's really fun for spinal decompression. It gives you traction on your spine. It's really great for passive backbends. We actually do core work and upper body strengthening poses on it as well. It's great for functional strength. It's kind of like a yoga version of a TRX, if you've ever seen one of those at a gym. You can do a lot more on this than you can do on a TRX.

In any case, Miranda, in terms of Lordosis, is this going to help? It's really hard for me to say. I'm not a medical expert in terms of that condition. The thing I would recommend is working with a teacher, if you can, and perhaps working with a physio or a chiro who could perhaps give you more structural integration information.

Jola asks:

Q: (24:18) I would like to take up yoga class, but which one would you recommend? I've never done it before. I'm 64. I walk my dog every day, and I'm reasonably fit. I've had back problems in the past, so I have to be careful about bending down. I'm an anxious sort of person and get a lot of tension in my shoulders, and it takes me ages to get to sleep at night. Sometimes I don't sleep at all.

A: Great question, Jola. In terms of what type of class I'd recommend, I always say the same thing. Do the type of class you love. So if you're somebody who likes something intense and strong and athletic, no matter what your age, I'd take a look at hot yoga, take a look at power vinyasa, ashtanga-style yoga. The great thing about yoga is it's great for any ages. We have students even coming to our yoga teacher training courses in Thailand who are well into their 60s. We've had people in their 70s. So it's not an age-restrictive thing. Of course, your body's not the same at 64 as it was at 24, let's be honest here, but you can still do a lot of things with yoga and you can get all the benefits. So that's if you're on the athletic side of things.

If you prefer a more calming practice, if you like meditation and if you like quieter classes, take a look at local classes that might be called hatha yoga, they might be called yin yoga, they might be called restorative yoga, sivananda or integral yoga. Some of these classes might have chanting and they might have Sanskrit words and perhaps even things connected to deities and religion. That may or may not be of interest to you, just as a word of warning, but many of them will not as well. You can always feel comfortable asking the studio about those things. It's always a good thing to ask, if you do have concerns about that.

In terms of your nightly sleep, using gravity yoga right before bed is very, very effective. We also teach a belly breathing routine that's very, very effective for falling asleep at night. We'll try to link to it here in the show notes. Belly breathing is when you lay on your back, you relax your belly completely and you breathe in and out through your belly, usually to a four count. So you inhale for one, two, three, four, and then exhaling for four, three, two, one. You keep your chest still, your face relaxed and you breathe just into your lower abdomen. So your belly swells and fills on the inhale and it falls and collapses on the exhale.

And what this does is it has a very strong effect on your central nervous system, and again, you switch from that sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system. You switch from your right nostril preference on the exhale to your left nostril preference on the exhale, and your body starts to really calm down. So that would be my suggestion for you.

Susan asks:

Q: (27:02) I had pots break 14 years ago and never healed properly, so cannot walk for more than a block without so much pain. I cannot use this foot in the yoga swing but could use the knee. I have carpal tunnel in both wrists. I cannot lift weights, use bands, do push-ups, et cetera, and will not be able to use my hands in a yoga trapeze. Do you have any tips for using the trapeze that way? I bought it to release my back pain.

A: Okay, Susan, this is a great question. I'm not sure. You said you had a break. I'm not sure what kind of break this was. I'm guessing you broke something in your spine. I'm not really sure. In any case, it sounds like you have quite a bit of pain in your body. The yoga trapeze is fantastic for getting traction on your spine. The one caveat to that is you do need to be able to get in and out of it and you do need a fair amount of mobility to be able to utilize it.

Now, there is another inversion device which is very, very common. It's just a lot bigger and a lot more expensive, but it's called an inversion table. You might have seen them before at a chiropractic office or at a health fair. It's a long table. It looks like a massage table, and it tips and goes all the way back and you can invert on the table. This might be something that might be more appropriate for you. With carpel tunnel, with pain, if you can't do any kind of resistance training, this might be a safer thing for you to try. So think about that.

Q: (28:27) I'm morbidly obese, I'm 5'2" and 223 pounds. I'm on a disability pension so I'm limited on the food we can afford. I eat lots of tuna, chicken, potatoes, frozen veggies, et cetera, because the fresh stuff is out of my price range. Would you have any tips on losing weight? Also, what other products other than the yoga trapeze would you recommend for me?

A: In terms of other products, I wouldn't recommend anything. If you're on a tight budget, just to natural activities that you love. If you like to walk, go for a walk. If you like to dance, put on a DVD and dance. Put on some music and dance. If you like to play with the neighbors or the kids or whatever it is, do that. There's this myth that in order to be thin or lose weight you have to do extreme exercise. It's almost never true. In fact, almost always the opposite is true. We have a sister business that I own and we do a lot of work with obesity and weight loss, and our most successful clients do little or no extreme exercise at all. Usually they do natural activities, just like walking around, playing in the park, very, very natural things. It's not necessary to get extreme. So that's the first thing.

In terms of eating healthy on a budget, this is a real challenge. Cheap food is fattening food, and that's a really, really sad state of affairs but it is a reality. Healthy food is more expensive, and people like to tell you that it's not but good food costs more. And that's just part of the situation. Now all of that said, there are plenty of options that are lower in cost and almost equal in terms of nutritional value. It sounds like you found quite a few of them. Frozen vegetables, for example, are nearly as good as fresh vegetables. So that's perfectly fine. Your cheaper meats, like tunas and chickens they're not too bad either. What I might recommend, if you're a meat eater, is go and try to get less common meats, like organ meats and like leftover pieces from really high-quality meats, for example you might get organ meats from grass-fed cows which would normally be very expensive. The organ meats will be very inexpensive and they're very, very nutrient-dense.

But all things considered, if you're thinking about investing in products, I would for sure invest in good food. And it doesn't need to be super expensive, but for sure it's going to cost more than even takeaway food from a restaurant. So with all that said, please keep in touch and let's see if we can figure out some good tools to help you and we'll go from there.

Esther asks:

Q: (30:56) What is your view on eggs? I'm eating organic, free-range, cruelty-free eggs pretty much every day for breakfast with spinach and avocado. What alternative, high-protein, vegetarian breakfast could I eat?

A: Eggs are really, really interesting. If you've been hanging around YOGABODY for a while, you know for over decade I just eat plants, so I haven't eaten eggs in a really long time. But in my day, I've eaten plenty of eggs. Eggs are interesting in that they have a very, very bioavailable protein. They seem like an animal food that we are made to eat, more so than other foods even in that they're very easy to digest.

A couple of problems with eggs. First of all, they come from chickens. Chickens are a really messed up animal. It's kind of like a poodle. You know when you see a poodle, like you go to Central Park in New York and you see these poodles getting walked around and this poodle looks sort of like an Easter Bunny/fur coat/I don't know what it is. It's really a mutant, and a chicken is very much like that. It's a very strange animal, and it's fed terrible, terrible foods like GMO corn and all kinds of really crappy grains. A chicken in the wild eats all kinds of things, like rats and mice and bugs and grasshoppers and leftover garbage. Chickens are really wild scavengers. And then they put them in cages and feed them really crappy food and antibiotics, and it's really a disaster.

In terms of eating organic, free-range eggs, I feed these to my kids. You've just got to be careful. A lot of the free-range is kind of a joke. A lot of the free-range just means that instead of being in cages, the chickens are just all on the floor smashed into each other. It's really no better. There are more and more and more truly cruelty-free eggs available, and I'm a huge supporter of that.

So here's the deal with eggs. Eggs are a great source of protein. Eggs are also very allergenic, and people develop allergies to them. The breakfast you talked about, eggs with spinach and avocado is something that my daughter loved beyond belief. For two years straight, every day she wanted eggs with spinach for breakfast, and suddenly now she won't eat eggs and it hurts her stomach. She's developed an egg allergy, and it's very common. If you talk to body builders, weight lifters, they often develop egg allergies as well, from over eating eggs. It's the white of the eggs that people develop an allergy to, the protein. I'm not sure why. I haven't seen any compelling research to explain why. I have a feeling it's because, like I said, the chicken is a funny animal. I don't believe in it as an animal. I think there's something wrong with it.

So that said, eggs from any other animal are better. If you can get duck eggs, for example, if you can get ostrich, any other kind of egg you could possibly get are going to be more nutritious and more natural than a chicken egg.

In terms of other high-protein, vegetarian breakfasts, the best breakfasts are not breakfast. Breakfast food is crappy food, by definition. The sweet cereals, the breads, the grains, all that stuff is gross. Eat dinner for breakfast. I like to eat leftovers from dinner for breakfast. Anything is great. Since you're a vegetarian, you just want to avoid the dairy. Dairy is so inflammatory. It's really a disaster of a protein. So if you're not eating meat, you want to make sure you're getting a good high-fat, high-protein breakfast. One thing that I like to use are sprouted lentils. Sprouted lentils are really, really great because a lot of the starch has been eaten in the sprouting process, so they're protein-dense, very, very easy to digest, very inexpensive and very fast to make. But the best breakfast food is not breakfast at all; it's dinner eaten for breakfast.

Q: (34:31) I'm confused about conflicting information about fruit. There's been a lot in the news about how fruit has too much sugar and should be avoided. What's your view on this?

A: Yeah, so fruit is really controversial. There's this guy out there called Durian Rider, and he says you should eat 30 bananas a day and then there's other people out there, Dr. Mercola tells you if you eat more than 5 pieces of fruit a day you're going to explode. I guess I fall somewhere in the middle. I come from a raw food background, so there's been periods of my life where I lived exclusively off of fruit, and at certain periods in my life I did really, really well off just fruit. At one point, I had less than 5% body fat, really great energy. I was able to work about 12 hours a day and maintain about a 3-hour per day yoga practice. Kind of extreme, but I was fueled by fruit during those days.

These days I'm a lot more conservative about fruit. First thing I'll tell you is it has a lot to do with climate. Where you live really affects your sugar metabolism dramatically. Your age dramatically affects your sugar metabolism. So what I mean by that is on the internet if you search around for these 80/10/10 guys or these fruitarians, the ones that look really, really good, and there's some really, really healthy-looking people out there, women in particular that people get really excited and they say, wow these people look like models. They look fantastic, and they're eating bananas and peaches all day, so maybe I should go do that.

The truth is, that might work for you. It might work for you in the short term. I've never seen it ever, ever, ever work in the long term, and I'm paying attention and I know people who've tried and they really deteriorate with age. So if you look at that fruitarian community and you look at the people in their later 30s, in their 40s and especially the people in their 50s, it's a train wreck and they have oxidative stress and they're aging really rapidly. And I haven't seen their blood work, but I promise if you were to do a glucose tolerance test it would be a disaster. Your weight, if you're only eating fruit, tends to be manageable. On any kind of whole food diet, your weight usually stays under control. But that has nothing to do with your hormones and that says nothing about your fatty acid levels and things like this.

I went off on a little bit of a rant there, but let me just tell you thing about fruit is that the fruit we're eating today is nothing like the fruit we had even 100 years ago. Let's talk about an apple, for example. A wild apple is a bitter, mealy, barely edible thing. A modern apple, I can eat literally five or six of them in one sitting and I can still want more. So yes, our fruit is way, way, way sweeter than it used to be. This has been done through selective breeding, in some case GMOs, but mostly just selective breeding.

And so what this means is when we're eating fruit, we want to focus on low-sugar, high-micronutrient fruits. That tends to be things like your berries, like your cucumbers, like your tomatoes. Yes, cucumbers and tomatoes are fruits. Anything seed-bearing is a fruit. And so you want to try to avoid the really, really, really sweet ones like watermelon and bananas. Those are very, very sweet. They're not bad for you, but it's a lot of sugar. That said, if you're an athlete, if you're very active, that can be a great source of carbohydrates for you.

The thing about fructose, especially concentrated fructose, is it's one of the most lipogenic things on the planet. What lipogenic means is lipogenesis, it goes into your liver and starts forming belly fat very, very quickly. So were you to try to gain a lot of belly fat really fast, let's say you were a method actor and you wanted to gain a bunch of weight really, really quickly, the absolute best way you could do that is to eat a whole bunch of fructose. It would be really, really easy to gain a bunch of fat. And the reason is, is because of the way it's metabolized. And so you need to be careful with fructose, especially isolated and concentrated fructose. So high-fructose corn syrup, like the stuff that's in soda pops, everybody knows you should avoid that.

But if you're eating fruit, here's just a general, general rule. You shouldn't be eating more than five pieces of fruit per day, and if you're eating other kinds of processed carbs, if you're eating any kind of grains, any kind of starches like breads or rices or pastas or any of that stuff, you need to be even more careful. So sometimes you'll hear people about going on a fruit-free diet and losing weight. Well, this is true and this does happen, but a lot of these people, they haven't given up their processed carbs. So they stopped eating fruit, but they're still eating lots of bread and lots of pasta and lots of rice. I would be much more interested in you getting rid of the grains and eating more fruit, because they're more healthy, they're more micronutrient-dense.

But as a general rule, again, I've gone on a real rant here, but about 25 grams of fructose a day or less is a good rule of thumb. Depending on the fruit, that could be just a couple of pieces or it can be about five pieces of fruit, if you're eating low-glycemic fruits. High-glycemic fruits, there's nothing wrong with them as long as you're active and as long as you're not eating too many other starchy foods. When people get into plant-based diets, oftentimes they end up eating all kinds of crazy starchy foods all day long and their blood sugar levels get all out of whack.

Q: (39:53) Is there any limit on how often we should be eating beans?

A: Beans or legumes are a really interesting food. We tend to think of them as a protein food, but they're actually pretty starchy. Most beans are around 10% protein, so not that high. Certain beans, like soy beans, are extraordinarily high in protein, but of course they have a couple of drawbacks that make us not want to eat them all the time. I like legumes a lot. I've come to like them more and more over the years, and I'll tell you why. I've learned how to prepare them better. Most beans give you terrible gas and bloating. They have oligosaccharides, which is a form of sugar, that we're unable to digest. But there are simple ways to overcome those digestive issues.

It takes a little bit of work. Specifically, buying beans dry, soaking them overnight and then cooking the snot out of them. That's one option. So you buy beans, you soak them overnight and you cook the crap out of them. It really, really helps with digestion. Of course, that cooking is not that great for the protein, not really that great for the micronutrients. But anyway, that's the way to do it. The other option, which I'm a huge fan of now and at any given time I have fresh lentil sprouts in my kitchen, is sprouting lentils. Lentils come in quite a few different varieties. They have very, very unique flavors. Some are peppery, some are more sweet. And when you sprout them it eats quite a bit of this starch. It makes them much more protein-dense, makes the protein more bioavailable, it eats a bunch of the sugars, it's predigested. And then I'll very likely cook them, stir-fry them or boil them in soup and they're very fast to cook, very easy to cook. You don't have to cook them nearly as much, and they're great for you. So I'm a huge fan of legumes.

They do have some anti-nutrients and things, which people get a little bit too hung up on them. You just need to learn how to cook. If you don't know how to cook, I would say beans are not for you.

Marilou asks:

Q: (41:43) Why is it so hard to lift up your upper body when on the floor doing bekasana?

A: Bekasana is a frog pose. You lay on your belly, you bend your legs, you reach back and you grab your feet and you lift your chest up. That all sounds fine. Do a Google search for it, bekasana, it looks really easy and then you go to do it and you feel like you're dying. It feels like your kneecaps are going to explode and your heart's going to burst. Why is it so hard? There are a couple of reasons, Marilou. Your shoulders tend to be tight, and your upper back tends to be tight and you really need to open up there to lift up and it's just a really intense, awkward position. So that's about all I have there.

I will tell you, you'll make progress really quickly. If you practice it every day, you'll make progress really quickly. Just be careful with your knees. Be really careful with getting adjustments in this pose. A lot of teachers like to sort of sit on you, and I do not like that in terms of your knees. It could be really risky there. I hope that's helpful.

If you have questions, please send them to Podcast@YogaBodyNaturals.com.

(43:03) Today's nutritional tip is all about water. The conventional wisdom is drink eight glasses of water per day. The only problem is, what the hell does eight glasses of water mean? Is that 8, 8-ounce glasses? Is that 8 liters of water? Is that 8, 12-ounce glasses? Who knows what that is? So here's my thing with water. You need to drink a lot more than you think. There's a couple of reasons for this, but one of the biggest reasons is the food that you're eating right now tends to be very dehydrated. A lot of people eat packaged and processed foods, and even the meats and things like that that they're eating tend to be dried. They're not nearly as wet and as water-dense as they should be, which means we need to drink more water.

(43:46) So how much water? Well, I like to drink about two liters per day. When I'm in Thailand, I might drink as much as five or even six liters per day, which sounds crazy but it's really hot there and I do a lot of yoga and I sweat a lot. It really depends on you. But for almost everybody, I find that a little bit over hydrating makes them feel really, really great. It reduces your hungry, it helps with elimination, helps you clear up your digestion and your skin. So it can be really great. So if in doubt, I'd ere on the side of drinking too much.

(44:17) So how do you do this? People get really stuck. The first thing is keep a bottle of water on your desk, and at your home keep a bottle of water on the counter. And by bottle of water, I don't necessarily mean a store-bought bottle of water. I have glass bottles at home that I filter water and put them in, and when I just leave them around on the table I end up drinking them all. There seems to be no limit to the amount of water I'll drink if it's sitting around. So literally, a jug of water on the counter, on my desk and I will drink it down no problem at all. I'd encourage you to do the same. If you're somebody who's out and about all day long, carry around with you a water bottle and carry a large water bottle, a nice big one. That will help you to drink more water.

(44:57) The second thing is, add something to your water. The things that I like best are lemon, fresh lemon, cucumber, sounds gross but it's good and then the last thing is we have something called Total Hydration, which is an electrolyte formula. It actually helps you absorb 43% more water. They've done clinical trials with firefighters. It's not necessary for everybody, but if you're somebody who struggles to drink water, is chronically dehydrated, the signs of that are constipation which is very, very common, and headaches, it can be a big help. If you're a hot yoga student, if you're an athlete, it can be really effective as well. You can learn more about that in the YOGABODY store. Regardless of whether you use Total Hydration or not, the key thing is drink more water. Keep it around. That's the simplest way to get it down.

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